章 176: 176
The bandit leader, a rogue missing-nin from a small, now-forgotten village, sat in the heart of his camp, idly tossing a kunai between his hands. His plan had been simple but effective. Most of his group were regular bandits—thieves and thugs he had gathered over time—but they had helped him amass a significant fortune by raiding caravans traveling between the Land of Fire and the Land of Tea. The real power behind their success had been him, a former genin who had killed his own teammates and deserted his village, using his rogue shinobi abilities to tip the scales in every attack.
The wealth he had accumulated was meant for one thing: buying new jutsu. There were always ways to buy power if you had enough coin, and he was determined to become unstoppable. His village had held him back, delaying his chunin exam and stunting his progress. That had been a mistake, one he'd made sure to correct by betraying them. Now, he had no loyalty but to himself, and soon, with new techniques under his belt, no one would be able to stand in his way.
But something felt off. A noise—subtle, nearly imperceptible—stirred him from his thoughts. He frowned, tossing his kunai aside and standing, senses on alert. He hadn't survived this long by ignoring his instincts, and right now, they were screaming at him.
He stepped cautiously into the camp clearing, his eyes scanning the shadows around him. The regular bandits continued lounging by the fires, oblivious to any threat. His shinobi recruits—low-level missing-nin he had managed to draw into his schemes—were supposed to be patrolling, but he saw none of them in sight.
Then, he heard it. The faint crackle of lightning chakra.
Before he could react, he felt it—a sharp pain in his chest. He glanced down in shock to see fingers crackling with lightning chakra, extending through his chest. The shimmering glow of a chakra scalpel cut through his body with deadly precision. His breath caught in his throat, his vision blurring as he tried to comprehend what had happened.
Behind him, Haruto stood calmly, his hand still extended, the lightning-infused chakra scalpel dissipating as the bandit leader's body slumped forward, lifeless. The rogue shinobi leader had been taken down without a sound.
Shisui appeared beside Haruto in an instant, his Sharingan scanning the area. His calm demeanor hid the deadly precision with which they had just executed the mission. "That's the last one," Shisui confirmed, his voice barely above a whisper. "We've cleared the camp."
Haruto nodded, wiping the residual chakra from his hand. "It's done."
Most of the bandits had been regular thugs—unskilled and easy to take down. The real threat had been the leader and his few rogue shinobi allies, but even they hadn't posed much of a challenge for their team. The mission had gone smoother than Haruto expected. Working as a unit, Shisui, Daichi, and Haruto had moved through the camp like ghosts, silently taking out one target after another, while Sakumo observed from a distance.
Sakumo Hatake stepped forward, emerging from the shadows where he had been watching. His White Fang blade gleamed at his side, untouched, a testament to how well his students had performed. He nodded approvingly as he approached. "You all did well. Clean, efficient. Just as I expected from you three."
Shisui returned the nod, while Haruto and Daichi stood beside him, both quietly pleased with how the mission had gone. The bandits had been dealt with swiftly, their leader now dead. The threat to the caravans was over.
"Gather up the goods," Sakumo instructed, his voice calm but firm. "We'll return everything to the village."
Haruto, Daichi, and Shisui moved quickly, gathering the crates and sacks of stolen items—mostly trade goods, food, and a few valuables. Among the haul were some stolen scrolls and weapons, likely obtained from their rogue shinobi connections, but nothing of great importance. Still, it was enough to return to the village and mark the mission as a success.
With the camp dismantled and the stolen goods in hand, the team began their journey back to Konoha. The tension of battle had left them, replaced by the quiet satisfaction of a job well done. As they moved through the forest, Haruto couldn't help but replay the mission in his mind. The bandits, even with their few rogue shinobi, had been no match for their team's coordination and precision.
Shisui had led them with quiet confidence, his Sharingan allowing him to predict movements and spot hidden traps with ease. Haruto had used his chakra sensitivity to pick out the best targets for stealth kills, and Daichi had ensured the rear was secure, taking out any who tried to flee. They had worked seamlessly together, like a finely tuned machine.
As they approached the gates of Konoha, the weight of their first B-rank mission began to sink in. It had been a challenge, but they had handled it with skill and professionalism. No casualties, no mistakes. The missing-nin and bandits had been eliminated, and the caravans would once again travel safely.
Upon reaching the mission hall, Sakumo handed over the report to the Hokage's assistant. "Mission complete," Sakumo said with a slight nod. "The bandits have been neutralized, and the stolen goods have been returned."
Haruto, standing beside his team, felt a quiet sense of pride. The mission had been a success, and his role as both a fighter and a medic had proven crucial. But even as he handed in the mission report, his mind was already thinking about what was next—the next mission, the next challenge. This B-rank mission had been a significant milestone, but Haruto knew he still had a long way to go. There was always more to learn, more to improve.
For now, though, he allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. They had faced down rogue shinobi, led a successful mission, and returned to the village with victory in hand. But the future, with its endless challenges, waited just over the horizon.
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